It's Been Beautiful

Gayle Wald is Professor of English and American Studies at George Washington University. She is the author of Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Crossing the Line: Racial Passing in U.S. Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture.

“[An] evocative, detailed book. . . . Wald’s book is both a timely and a galvanizing addition to what might be described as black analog studies.”   - Mark Anthony Neal (Chronicle Review) “Wald's writing energises the reader when describing specific episodes. She was granted full access to the 30 or so episodes that survive as well as securing photographs for the book from Chester Higgins, who shot publicity stills each week during filming. When the narrative and the photographs intersect, the book really begins to resonate. Every couple of pages, you wish that you could view the Thelonious Monk performance being described, or hear the voice of Malcolm X's widow Betty Shabazz detailing her struggles. This is a singular book that will never be bettered or repeated. . . ." - Pat Thomas (The Wire) “In the late 60s and early 70s, Ellis Haizlip's groundbreaking public television program Soul! presented black authors, activists, and musicians speaking and performing without any kind of filter. Episodes included Nikki Giovanni debating James Baldwin and Labelle covering the Who's ‘Won't Get Fooled Again.’ Wald provides evocative descriptions of the shows and places them in cultural context.” - Aaron Cohen (Chicago Reader) "It’s Been Beautiful is an important and timely book that charts how Soul! broadcast the vitality of black culture to predominately black audiences." - Matt Delmont (Journal of American History) "It’s Been Beautiful offers a great contribution on the Black Power movement, chronicling a mediatic space that played a central role in black people’s lives during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Wald shows how media engages in ideological and identity processes while also demonstrating its radical potential. Any scholar interested in Black Power and media would surely enjoy this well-written and engaging book."  - Bianca Gonzalez-Sobrino (Ethnic and Racial Studies) "Since Wald argues that one of Soul!’ s key attributes is the unique 'archive' it provides of this era in black history, the book provides a very useful companion to courses examining the period. By showcasing and interviewing artists associated with the Black Arts Movement such as the Last Poets; featuring jazz musicians like Rahsaan Roland Kirk; including conversations about family, gender, and domesticity between poet Nikki Giovanni and writer James Baldwin; and airing discussions with poet and activist Amiri Baraka, the show and Wald’sanalysis of it provide students with productive texts to examine and deepen their understanding of the era."  - Aniko Bodroghkozy (History Teacher) "It’s Been Beautiful successfully brings attention, with both dignity and respect, to a neglected but influential and deserving part of African American cultural history." - Rob Bowman (IASPM@Journal)

• Illustrations  viiPhotographer's Note: A Vision of Soul! / Chester Higgins  ixIntroduction. "It's Been Beautiful"  11. Soul! and the 1960s  362. The Black Community and the Affective Compact  703. "More Meaningful Than a Three-Hour Lecture": Music on Soul!  1044. Freaks Like Us: Black Misfit Performance on Soul!  1455. The Racial State and the "Disappearance" of Soul!  181Conclusion. Soul! at the Center  213Acknowledgments  221Notes  225Bibliography  253Index  265